Yet another live action adaptation of Akira Toriyama's beloved
"Dragon Ball" series, only this
one is ten years too late for anyone to care. It's a curious interpretation that
throws out almost all of the fantasy elements and tries to put things in a contemporary,
although slightly futuristic setting. That, and most of the characters are American.
Goku (Justin Chatwin) is a teenage loner learning martial arts from his wise old
grandfather. On his 18th birthday, he receives a mystical dragon ball from his
grandfather, and is told that there are only seven in existence. Legend has it that
bringing the seven balls together can summon the eternal dragon, who will grant
that person one wish. Conveniently, as soon as Goku has the dragon ball, evil forces
want to snatch it away from him. The evil warlord Piccolo (James Marsters) has
broken out of his 2000 year confinement and wishes to lay waste to the Earth, but
he needs the dragon balls to do so. Goku ultimately befriends gun-toting techno-geek
Bulma (Emmy Rossum doing her best Jennifer Garner impersonation), kung fu cutie
Chi-Chi (Jamie Chung), Yamcha the desert bandit (Joon Park), and the eccentric
master Roshi (Chow Yun Fat) in his quest to find the dragon balls before Piccolo does.

Yes, it's a silly, stupid, incoherent mess and the source material is barely
recognizable, and yet, I found it thoroughly entertaining. It has all of the
innocent charm, kinetic energy, and awkward sexuality of the
"Mighty Morphin Power
Rangers" (1995), and is just a lot of fun. Sure, it doesn't make any sense,
but the characters never question the bizarre world that they live in, which invites
the audience to do the same. Thankfully, the characters are played straight and
extremely seriously, even though there's never any sense of real physical danger or
deep psychological trauma. It's light-hearted mystical kung fu action, and as a result,
it perfectly hits the sweet spot of an eleven year old boy's imagination.

Hearing Ayumi during the end credits was a huge surprise, as well as seeing
Hong Kong funnyman Stephen Chow as the producer of the film. Even though the
film doesn't do justice to the source material, it's clear that the filmmakers are
fans who appreciate Asian cinema and recognize the benefits of cross-cultural
cooperation. Ultimately, while "Dragonball Evolution" isn't a
particularly good movie, it's hard not to enjoy its youthful energy,
uplifting spirit, and imaginative charm.